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Criminal Charges Faced by Xu Zewei
Breakdown of major legal accusations against the defendant in US federal court.
Primary Sources
Italy extradites alleged Chinese cyber-espionage suspect to US
US prosecutors say 34-year-old Xu Zewei hacked into universities to steal vaccine research during COVID-19 pandemic. Italy has extradited an accused Chinese hacker wanted in the United States for allegedly stealing vaccine research at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.Italian authorities handed over the “dangerous foreign hacker” to the US following his arrest in Milan last July on suspicion of conducting cyberattacks against universities and other institutions engaged in COVID-related research, the Italian National Police said in a statement on Monday.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4Survivors of deadly Indonesia train crash pulled from wreckagelist 2 of 4US Supreme Court reinstates Republican-favoured Texas electoral maplist 3 of 4Bahrain strips 69 people of citizenship over Iran supportlist 4 of 4Israeli settlers attack Palestinians and set house on fireend of listThe suspect and his co-conspirators allegedly exploited cybersecurity flaws in email software to target thousands of computers in a Chinese state-sponsored cyber-espionage campaign dubbed “Hafnium”, Italian police said.The US Department of Justice said the suspect, 34-year-old Xu Zewei, had targeted universities, immunologists, and virologists under the direction of China’s Ministry of State Security while employed at the “enabling” company Shanghai Powerock Network.Prosecutors said the targeted institutions included a university in southern Texas and a law firm with offices in Washington, DC, and worldwide.Xu appeared in the US District Court in Houston, Texas, on Monday to face nine criminal counts, including wire fraud and conspiracy to obtain information by unauthorised access to protected computers, according to US prosecutors.“The United States is committed to pursuing hackers who steal information from US businesses and universities and threaten our cybersecurity,” Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A Eisenberg said in a statement.“I commend the prosecutors and investigators who have worked hard and sought justice for years in this investigation, and we look forward to proving our case in court,” Eisenberg said.The Chinese Embassy in Washington, DC, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.Beijing has previously denied conducting hacking operations in the US and elsewhere around the world, branding such claims as “groundless accusations” and “smears”.Xu’s lawyers in Italy and the US, Simona Candido and Dan Cogdell, did not immediately respon...
Italy extradites suspected Chinese hacker wanted by US authorities - Yahoo
MILAN, April 27 (Reuters) - Italy has extradited to the U.S. a Chinese man wanted by authorities there on hacking charges that include stealing COVID-19 medical research, Italian police said on Monday, confirming earlier reports.Xu Zewei was arrested in Milan last July at the request of U.S. authorities, who have accused him of wire fraud and aggravated identity theft for his alleged role in computer piracy acts that took place between February 2020 and June 2021.In a statement, Italian police described him as "a dangerous foreign hacker" who was handed over to U.S. authorities to answer charges of criminal conspiracy, unauthorized access to computer systems, computer fraud and identity theft.A source earlier told Reuters that Xu was already on U.S. soil, without saying when he had been flown there. His transfer follows a ruling by a top Italian court earlier this month allowing the extradition.The U.S. Justice Department confirmed the extradition in a statement on Monday, saying that based on court documents Xu allegedly hacked U.S. universities and researchers studying COVID‑19 vaccines, treatment, and testing. He then reported to supervising officers under China's Ministry of State Security, which directed the hacking, it said."Today, Xu Zewei will stand in a federal courtroom to answer for crimes that struck at the heart of American science and security," John Marck, acting U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Texas, said in the statement.A spokesperson for China's Foreign Ministry on Monday said China opposed the U.S. "fabricating charges through political manipulation" and urged Italy to "respect facts and law, immediately correct its mistake" and avoid "becoming an accomplice of the U.S."Following his arrest, Xu's lawyer said his client had been a victim of mistaken identity.The DOJ also alleges that in 2021, Xu was part of a cyber-espionage group known as Hafnium, which infiltrated thousands of computers worldwide, including in the U.S.(Reporting by Emilio Parodi and Crispian Balmer; Additional reporting by Alvise Armellini in Rome, Joe Cash in Beijing and Michael Martina in Washington; Writing by Valentina Za; Editing by Alexandra Hudson, Thomas Derpinghaus and Keith Weir)
Italy extradites alleged Chinese state-backed hacker to US over theft ...
A Chinese national accused of hacking U.S. universities to steal COVID-19 research and carrying out parts of a sweeping cyber espionage campaign earlier in the decade has been extradited from ...
Italy Extradites to US a Chinese National Suspected of Hacking for ...
Prosecutors also alleged that Xu was involved with a Chinese state-sponsored hacking group responsible for the initial breaches of Microsoft Exchange servers starting in late 2020.
